Course Textbook List

Find the list of course texts for upcoming terms here. Please note that sometimes textbook lists may change between course registration and the beginning of the term. For any textbooks you purchase, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with your bookseller's return policy. You may also want to consult the Wiggin Library course reserves page.

Spring 2025

Signature Courses

• Vocational Studies 2: Communities [Robersmith]
  
  • Meadows, Donella, Thinking in Systems
  • Wimberly Jr., John W., The Business of the Church
  • Plus at least one of the following—one you’ve not read yet!—considering how people include and exclude people from communities:
    • UUA Commission on Institutional Change, Widening the Circle of Connection
    • Rahnema, Mitra (ed.), Centering
    • Belser, Julia Watts, Loving Our Own Bones
    • Wilcox, Melissa M.,Queer Religiosities
  • Additional readings will be available via Populi and/or the Meadville Lombard library.
  • Additional readings may be added.
• Leadership Studies 2: Administration [House] 
  • Campbell, Heidi, and Ruth Tsuria, eds. Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in Digital Media. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2022.
  • Herring, Hayim, and Terri Martinson Elton. Leading Congregations and Nonprofits in a Connected World: Platforms, People, and Purpose. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. https://i-share-mls.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_MLS/1fr761p/alma99484582205863
  • Mishra-Marzetti, Manish, and Nancy McDonald Ladd. Seeds of a New Way: Nurturing Authentic & Diverse Religious Leadership. Boston, MA: Skinner House, 2024.

MDiv Requirements

• Introduction to Pastoral Ministry [Journey] 
  • Steinke, Peter L. 2006. Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times : Being Calm and Courageous No Matter What. Herndon, Va.: Alban Institute. ISBN: 978-1-56699-328-9  
  • Wimberly, Edward P., and Tapiwa N. Mucherera. 2019. Recalling Our Own Stories : Spiritual Renewal for Religious Caregivers. Fortress Press edition. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. ISBN 978-1-50645-477-1

• Topics in Worship & Liturgy [Johnson] 
  • Required
    • Worship that Works: Theory and Practice for Unitarian Universalists, Arnason and Rolenz, 2nd Edition, 2017.   
    • Blessing it All: Rituals for Transition and Transformation, Concannon and Palm, 2024  
    • Think like a Filmmaker: Sensory-Rich Worship for Unforgettable Messages, McFee, 2016  
    • Interplay of things: religion, art, and presence together, Anthony Pinn, 2021  
    • Sharing the Word: Preaching in the Roundtable Church by Lucy Atkinson Rose, 1997  
    • Black Liturgies, Cole Arthur Riley, 2024  
    • Newborn Bards: A Theology of Preaching for Unitarian Universalists, Matthew Johnson – a PDF will be provided free to the students by the author (instructor).  Read chapters 1, 2, and 3, with special attention to 3.1 and 3.4.    
    • “Religion as Celebration” from Modern Worship by V. Ogden Vogt.  Here: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Modern_Worship/TD0bAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP9&printsec=frontcover
    •  “Ritual Change and Changing Rituals” by Catherine Bell – at https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1110&context=rel_stud   “Forward” and “Chapter 1: Nature and Significance of Play” from Homo Ludens by J. Huizinga (the book itself is only $10, but you will only need to read the forward and 1st chapter).  
    • “Chapter 1: Ritual as Spatial Director” by David Parkin, in Understanding Rituals ed. by Daniel de Coppett.   
    • “Liturgy for the Mixed Multitude: Notes from Faith-Rooted Organizing Communities” by Keisha McKenzie, In Liturgy 34:4.   
    • Voices from the Margins (James, ed). 
    • Either Reaching for the Sun (Herrera) or Breaking and Blessing (Dennison)  
  • Books you should have access to already
    • Singing the Living Tradition, UUA
    • Singing the Journey, UUA
    • Between the Lines, UUA
    • Lifting our Voices, UUA  
  • Highly Recommended   
    • Great Occasions: Readings for the Celebration of Birth, Coming of Age, Marriage, and Death, by Carl Seaburg. 2004.   
  • Also Recommended
    • Beyond Absence: A Treasury of Poems, Quotations, and Readings on Death and Remembrance by Ed Searl  
    • We Pledge our Hearts: A Treasury of Poems, Quotations, and Readings to Celebrate Love and Marriage by Ed Searl  
    • For So Long as we Both Shall Live by Roger Fritts  
    • Dreaming the Dark, Starhawk, 2017  
    • The Shared Pulpit, Erika Hewitt
• Global Religions [Dechant] 
  • Required books:  
    • Bucar, Liz.  Stealing My Religion: Not Just Any Cultural Appropriation.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2022. (A few reserve copies will be available via the library; it can also be purchased in Kindle and audiobook formats).  
    • Hogue, Michael S., and Dean Phillip Bell. Interreligious Resilience: Interreligious Leadership for a Pluralistic World.  London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2022. (Available via the library as an ebook and as a reserve book, it is also available for purchase in Kindle format).  
    • Said, Edward W. Orientalism.  New York: Vintage Books, 1979. (A few reserve copies will be available via the library, but print versions are inexpensive, and it is also available for purchase in Kindle format as an audiobook).  
  • Required articles and resources available online or via the course reserves page:  
    • Bigelow, Anna.  “Saved by the Saint: Refusing and Reversing Partition in Muslim North India.” The Journal of Asian Studies 68, no. 2 (2009): 435-464, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20619734.  
    • Doniger, Wendy.  “Thinking More Critically About Thinking Too Critically.” Criterion 46, no. 3 (fall 2008/winter 2009): 12-15.  
    • Jerryson, Michael.  “Monks with Guns,” Aeon. April 26, 2017.  https://aeon.co/essays/buddhism-can-be-as-violent-as-any-other-religion.  
    • Mahmood, Saba.  “Feminist Theory, Embodiment, and the Docile Agent: Some Reflections on the Egyptian Islamic Revival.” Cultural Anthropology 16, no. 2 (2001): 202-236, https://www.jstor.org/stable/656537.  
    • Olupona, Jacob. Interview by Anthony Chiorazzi.  The Harvard Gazette. October 6, 2015. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/10/the-spirituality-of-africa/.  
    • Pape, Robert A. “Violence and Religion.” The IDEA Society, YouTube video, 1:11:47, March 24, 2015. https://youtu.be/jxOaai-Qt1U?si=o6tF6bYM4GECICHb    
    • Pew Research Center.  “Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050.”  December 21, 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/feature/religious-composition-by-country-2010-2050/.  
    • The Pluralism Project.  “Religions.”  Harvard University.  2024.  https://pluralism.org/religions.  
    • Schilbrack, Kevin.  “Religions: Are There Any?” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 78, no. 4 (2010): 1112–38.  http://www.jstor.org/stable/27919267.\
  • Project Readings: All students (either individually or in a group, depending on enrollment) will be assigned a set of readings and resources on one of the world’s religions. As will be detailed in the syllabus, the students will have to give presentations to their classmates based on these readings. Instructions for approaching the readings (including what portions of the words to focus on) will be provided in the syllabus.  All of these readings and resources can either be found on the web, are electronic articles or ebooks that students can access via the library, or else are library books that will be provided to the students.  A list of these readings is included in the full Global Religions reading list.
• Intro to Ethics [House]
  • Fluker, Walter E. Ethical Leadership: The Quest for Character, Civility, and Community. Prisms. Minneapolis: Fortress Press Minneapolis, 2009. https://muse.jhu.edu/book/76853/. 978-1-4514-1984-9   
  • Schneider, Laurel C., and Thelathia Nikki Young. Queer Soul and Queer Theology : Ethics and Redemption in Real Life. Routledge New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies. London ; Routledge, 2021. 978-0367820497  
  • Schweiker, William. The Blackwell Companion to Religious Ethics.  Blackwell Companions to Religion. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons Oxford, 2007. 9780470997031
• New Testament [Beverly]
  • Ehrman, Bart D. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. 4th ed. or later. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007–2019. ISBN: 9780190909000.
  • Plus any one of the following: 
    •  Attridge, Harold W., ed. The HarperCollins Study Bible: Fully Revised and Updated. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2006. ISBN: 9780060786847.
    • Coogan, Michael D., ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. ISBN: 9780190276089. (4th ed. also okay) 
    • Levine, Amy­ Jill, and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Annotated New Testament. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. ISBN: 9780190461850. (1st ed. also okay) 
• History of Global Christianity [Kirk] 
  • Coakley, John W. & Andrea Sterk. Readings in World Christian History: Volume 1 (2013) Available in paperback, kindle, and audible.  
  • Coffman, Elesha, Turning Points in American Religious History: How Pivotal Events Shaped a Nation and Faith (2024) Available in paperback, e-book/kindle, and Audible. 
  • Haines-Eitzen, Kim. The Sonorous Desert: What Deep Listening Taught Early Christian Monks—and What It Can Teach Us (2022) Available in paperback, e-book/kindle., and Audible and as an e-book from Wiggin Library.    
  • Walker, David, Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World (2021)  Available in paperback, e-book/kindle and Audible   ·      
  • Wilkin, Robert Louis, The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity (2013) Available in paperback, e-book/kindle, and Audible and as an e-book from Wiggin Library.
• Tools for Parish and Non-Profit Administration [Verdine Jones]
  • Clark, Wayne. Beyond Fundraising: The Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship. Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2007. ISBN: 1558965238, $20.
  • Harder, Cameron. Discovering the Other: Asset-Based Approaches for Building Community Together. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers: 2013. Kindle: $30.00, Paperback: $26.00. ISBN: 978-1566994293
  • Herring, Hayim and Terri Martinso Elton, Leading Congregations and Nonprofits in a Connected World: Platforms, People, and Purpose. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers: 2016. Kindle: $27.50, Paperback: $29.00. ISBN: 978-1566997690.
  • Hotchkiss, Dan. Governance and Ministry: Rethinking Board Leadership. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD., 2016: Rowman & Littlefield. Kindle: $18.50, Paperback: $24. ISBN 978-1566997393 (Selected chapters to be assigned.)
  • Powe, F. Douglas. The Adept Church: Navigating Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2020. Kindle: $9.99, Paperback: $12.99. ISBN: 978-1501896521.
  • Rahnema, Mitra, ed. Centering: Navigating Race, Power and Authenticity in Ministry. Boston, MA: Skinner House Books, Unitarian Universalist Association, 2017. Kindle: $9.99, Paperback: $18. ISBN: 978-1-55896799.
  • Rendle, Gilbert R., and Susan Beaumont. When Moses Meets Aaron: Staffing and Supervision in Large Congregations. Herndon, VA: Alban Institute, 2007. Kindle: $15.04, Paperback: $23.09; ISBN: 978-1566993517.

DMin Requirements

• Social Change Leadership [House] 
  • Fluker, Walter E. Ethical Leadership: The Quest for Character, Civility, and Community.  Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2009. https://i-share-mls.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_MLS/18en8el/alma991154622220905816
  • Heifetz, Ronald A., Alexander Grashow, and Martin Linsky. The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2009. https://i-share-mls.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_MLS/1fr761p/alma99433758705863
  • Lizardy-Hajbi, Kristina. Unraveling Religious Leadership: Power, Authority, and Decoloniality. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2024. 
  • Northouse, Peter Guy. Leadership: Theory and Practice. 9th ed. Thousand Oaks,  CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2022.  https://i-share- mls.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_MLS/18en8el/alma991154637800205816
  • Tirres, Christopher. Liberating Spiritualities: Reimagining Faith in the Americas. New York: Fordham University Press, 2024. 
  • NEW: brown, adrienne maree. Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds. Emergent Strategy. Chico, CA: AK Press, 2017. https://i-share-mls.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CARLI_MLS/18en8el/alma991154622220905816
• Leadership & Ministry Research Colloquy [Kirk]
  •  Booth, Wayne, and et. al., The Craft of Research, Fifth Edition (2024) Available in paperback and e-book/kindle.      
  • Boyd, Michelle, Becoming the Writer You Already Are, First Edition (2022)   Available in paperback and e-book/kindle and as a rental.   
  • Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein, “They Say, I Say” Sixth Edition (2024)  Available in paperback and e-book/kindle.     
  • Silva, Paul, How to Write A Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing (2018)  Available in paperback, e-book/kindle, Audible, and rental.

Fall 2024

Signature Courses

• Vocational Studies 1: Formation [Kirk] 
  • Manish Mishra-Marzetti and Nancy McDonald Ladd, eds.  Seeds of a New Way: Nurturing Authentic and Diverse Religious Leadership (Boston: Skinner House Books, 2024) ISBN 1558969160 Available as paperback or e-book. 
  • Priya Parker. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters (Riverhead Books, New York, 2018) ISBN 1594634939 Available as paperback, hardcover, e-book, and audiobook.
  • Erin Walter, ed. Care for the World: Reflections on Community Ministry. Available as paperback or e-book. 
  • Additional readings to be posted on Populi.
• Leadership Studies 1: Formation [Staff]
  • TBA
• Grounding: Theology and Social Praxis [Hogue]
  • Foley, Edward. Theological Reflection Across Religious Traditions: The Turn to Reflective Believing (Rowman and Littlefield, 2015): 978-1442247192
  • King, Thomas. The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative (University of Minnesota Press, 2008): 978-0816646272
  • Macy, Joanna and Johnstone, Chris, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We're In with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power (New World Library 2022): 978-1608687107
  • Taiwo, Olufemi. Elite Capture, (Chicago: Haymarket, 2022): 978-1642596885

Master of Divinity Required Courses

• Preaching As If You Mean It [Hergert]
  • Blue Note Preaching in a Post-Soul World, Otis Moss III
  • How to Preach a Dangerous Sermon, Frank Thomas
  • Preaching in Pictures, Peter Jonker
• Constructive Theology [Hogue]
  • Anderson, Victor. Creative Exchange: A Constructive Theology of African American Religious Experience (Fortress, 2008). ISBN: 9780800662554.  
  • Gebara, Ivone. Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation (Fortress, 1999). ISBN: 9781451409901.  
  • Hogue, Michael S. American Immanence: Democracy for an Uncertain World (Columbia University Press, 2018). ISBN: 9780231172325.  
  • Rivera, Mayra. The Touch of Transcendence: A Postcolonial Theology of God (Westminster John Knox: Louisville, 2007). ISBN: 9780664230739.  
  • Tinker, George. Spirit and Resistance: Political Theology and American Indian Liberation (Fortress, 2004). ISBN: 9781451408416.  
  • Welch, Sharon. Feminist Ethic of Risk. Revised Edition. (Fortress, 1990). ISBN: 9781451418262.
• Healthy Boundaries for Leaders [House]
  • Haffner, Debra. A Time to Build: Creating Sexually Healthy Faith Communities. 2nd ed. Westport, CT: Religious Institute, 2012.  
  • Hemphill, Prentis. What It Takes to Heal: How Transforming Ourselves Can Change the World. 1st ed. New York: Random House, 2024.  
  • Lipsky, Laura van Dernoot. The Age of Overwhelm: Strategies for the Long Haul. 1st ed. BK Life Book. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2018.  
  • Olsen, David C., and Nancy G. Devor. Saying No to Say Yes: Everyday Boundaries and Pastoral Excellence. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2015.
  • Tawwab, Nedra Glover. Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself. New York, NY: TarcherPerigee, 2021.  
  • ———. The Set Boundaries Workbook: Practical Exercises for Understanding Your Needs and Setting Healthy Limits. New York, NY: TarcherPerigee, 2021.

• Faith Formation in a Changing World [Staff]
  • TBA
• Unitarian Universalist History and Polity [Kirk]
  • John Buehrens. Universalists and Unitarians: A People’s History (Boston: Skinner House Press, 2011) ISBN 1558966129 Available as a paperback and e-book.                   
  • Dan McKanan, ed. A Documentary History of Unitarian Universalism: From the Beginning to 1899 – Volume One (Boston: Skinner House Press, 2017) ISBN 1558967893   Available as a paperback and e-book.   
  • Dan McKanan, ed. A Documentary History of Unitarian Universalism: From 1900 to Present – Volume Two (Boston: Skinner House Press, 2017) ISBN 1558967915  Available as a paperback and e-book.   
  • Mark D. Morrison-Reed, Darkening the Doorways: Black Trailblazers and Missed Opportunities in Unitarian Universalism (Boston: Skinner House Press, 2011) Available as a paperback and e-book.   
  • Denise D. Tracy and Emmy Lou Belcher, eds. WomanSpirit: The Rise of Feminism and the Empowerment of Women in Liberal Religion (2024). Purchase the paperback directly through the InSpirit UU Book Shop for an affordable price, or buy the e-book version. InSpirit UU Book Shop shipping takes longer than other methods. Please order in time for class.   
  • Cynthia Grant Tucker. Prophetic Sisterhood: Liberal Women Ministers of the Frontier, 1880-1930 (Indianapolis: Indiana Universality Press, 1994) ISBN 025320822X Available as a paperback.   
  • Holley Ulbrich. The Fellowship Movement: A Growth Strategy and Its Legacy (Boston: Skinner House Press, 2007)   Purchase the paperback directly through the InSpirit UU Book Shop for an affordable price. 
  •  Conrad Wright. Congregational Polity (FREE online PDF) (1997)

• Hebrew Bible [Beverly] 
  • Berlin, Adele, and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Study Bible. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN: 9780199978465.  
  • Collins, John J. A Short Introduction to the Hebrew Bible and Deutero-Canonical Books. 3rd ed. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2018. ISBN: 9781506445991 (paperback) or 9781506446066 (ebook).

Doctor of Ministry Required Courses

• Methods of Leadership and Ministry [Lassiter]
  • Judith Butler, Who’s Afraid of Gender (New York: Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux), 2023.  
  • Kwok Pui Lan, Postcolonial Politics and Theology: Unraveling Empire for a Global World (Louisville: Westminster John Knox), 2021.  
  • All other readings provided as PDF or access through MLTS library.  
  • Selections, The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology, ed. Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore
• Research Methods and Ethics [House]
  • Creswell, John W., and J. David Creswell. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sixth edition. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2023.  
  • Ward, Pete, and Knut Tveitereid. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Theology and Qualitative Research. Wiley-Blackwell Companions to Religion. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2022.  
  • Wilson, Shawn. Research Is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods. Black Point, Nova Scotia: Fernwood Publishing, 2008.
• Political Theology and Social Ethics [Hogue]
  • Hogue, American Immanence: Democracy for an Uncertain World (Columbia: 2018): 978-0231172325
  • Bray, Grave Attending: A Political Theology for the Unredeemed (Fordham: 2019): 978-0823286867
  • Whitehead, American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church (Brazos, 2023): 978-1587435768
  • Townes, Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil (Palgrave, 2007): 978-1403972736
  • Welch, After the Protests are Heard: Enacting Civic Engagement and Social Transformation (NYU: 2019): 978-1479857906

Electives

• Call of the Wild [Kirk]
  • Hawthorne Deming and Lauret E. Savoy, eds. The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions, 2011)
  • Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (2017)   
  • Greg Sarris, Becoming Story: A Journey among Seasons, Places, Trees, and Ancestors (Berkeley, California: Heyday, 2022)  
  • Lauret Savoy, Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape (Berkley, California: Counterpoint Press, 2015)   ·      
  • Robin Wall Kimmerer, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses (Oregon State Press, 2003) 
  •  Peter J. Thusesen, Tornado God: American Religion and Violent Weather (Oxford University Press, 2020)   
  • Sarah McFarland Taylor, Ecopiety: Green Media and the Dilemma of Environmental Virtue (New York City: New York University Press, 2019)
  • Additional readings to be posted on Populi.